Michelle Villett/The Glow Memo
Does Powder Sunscreen Actually Work? What It Can Do for Your Skin and the Right Way to Use It
Sunscreen lotions have come a long way in recent years—but even the most advanced formulas might look and feel heavier on your skin than you’d like. Having to reapply them every two hours is also a drag, since that can ruin your makeup and trap acne-causing debris.
That’s why you might be considering a powder sunscreen. Unlike SPF lotions, powder sunscreen is completely dry, and leaves your skin matte, not greasy. It brushes on just like your favourite setting powder, and can be applied right over your makeup—so topping up your sun protection couldn’t be easier.
But does it actually work at protecting your skin from sunburn, skin cancer and premature aging?
In this tutorial, we’ll tackle that question. You will learn what powder sunscreen can do, how well it protects you, and the right way to use it in your routine.
What Is Powder Sunscreen?
Powder sunscreen gives you mineral sun protection in dry powder form.
Michelle Villett/The Glow Memo
Powder sunscreen is also known as “dry sunscreen,” and it looks, feels and applies like a loose powder or powder foundation. But rather than just mattifying or perfecting your skin, it’s also giving you sun protection.
Like any other sunscreen, it has a sun protection factor (SPF) on the label, which can range from SPF 20 to as high as SPF 50. They also contain the same active ingredients that are found in mineral sunscreen lotions:
- Zinc oxide: Out of all the UV filters we have available here in North America, zinc oxide is the single most effective. It is the only approved filter that gives extensive protection against both UVA (the aging rays) and UVB (the burning rays).1
- Titanium dioxide: Titanium dioxide provides extensive protection from UVB, but only partial protection from UVA.1 So it’s not ideal on its own, but works well in tandem with zinc oxide, which is a stronger UVA filter.
As minerals, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide already exist in powder form. To create lotion textures, they need to be evenly dispersed throughout a liquid. For powder sunscreens, they are typically mixed with ingredients like mica, silica, iron oxides and emollients. This allows them to reflect light, mattify, deliver pigment and (most importantly) adhere to your skin.
Powder Sunscreen Benefits
Powder sunscreen is sheer and easily applies over makeup.
Michelle Villett/The Glow Memo
Here are all the benefits of using this type of sunscreen:
✓ Looks and Feels Invisible
Powder is virtually undetectable on your skin. It’s sheer and matte, and either translucent or slightly tinted, so it won’t look (or feel) like you’re wearing anything. Bonus: Just like a regular powder, it can also help to absorb excess oil, even out your skin and set your makeup.
✓ Easy to Reapply
Topping up your sun protection every two hours with a creamy formula can be unpleasant, to say the least. It messes up any makeup that you carefully applied that morning, and if you can’t wash your face, it could also lead to breakouts. But with a powder, reapplication is quick, easy and hygienic. You can just dust it on throughout the day, right over your makeup. How convenient is that?
✓ Portable
Each tube of powder SPF comes with a built-in, self-dispensing brush, so it’s an ideal product to carry with you on the go. Your fingers don’t need to touch the product or your skin to apply it, and the tube won’t take up much room in your handbag.
✓ Good for Sensitive Skin
The active ingredients in powders—zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—are known to be gentler than chemical UV filters on sensitive skin.2 Powders also tend to be formulated with fewer inactive ingredients than lotions. For example, since they’re water-free, powders may need lower amounts of preservatives, or even none at all. The fewer ingredients that you are putting on your skin, the less potential for a reaction.
✓ Won’t Clog Pores
Powders are especially well-suited to acne-prone skin because unlike lotions, they are lower in occlusive, comedogenic ingredients. (Just remember to keep the brush clean with a product like the Colorescience Brush Cleaning Wipes or Jane Iredale Botanical Brush Cleaner.)
✓ Not Just for Your Face
While powder may be impractical to use all over the body, it’s ideal for areas like your chest, neck, ears and hands, which are often forgotten. It can also be used to protect your scalp from the sun without making your hair limp and greasy (simply brush it down your part and along your hairline).
Does Powder Sunscreen Work?
Powder sunscreen is recommended in addition to your regular sunscreen lotion, not in place of it.
Michelle Villett/The Glow Memo
So, does powder sunscreen actually work? The answer is yes—it does give you effective sun protection, thanks to its mineral sunscreen ingredients.
However, powder can be challenging to work with. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Should Not Be Your Only Sunscreen
Ask any dermatologist, and they’ll tell you that powder sunscreen should be used in addition to your regular sunscreen lotion—not in place of it. Since powder can’t be felt or seen on the skin, it’s all too easy to miss a spot or not apply enough.
“When scientists test facial powders to determine SPF (as mandated by the FDA), they typically assume that 2mg of product will be used per cm2 of skin,” says Dr. Leslie Baumann. “The average face is about 600cm2 (although that varies from person to person, of course), meaning that a person needs to apply about 1.2g of facial powder to get the SPF stated on the product’s label.3
“So what’s the problem? Studies show that most women only apply about 0.085g of powder at a time. In a nutshell, you’d have to apply 14 times the amount of powder you usually do to be sufficiently protected against the sun! Even if you were willing to cake on your makeup, there’s no way to pile on that much powder.”3
Best for Reapplying Sunscreen
Since it is difficult to achieve an even layer of coverage with powder, you’re better off using powder sunscreen for reapplication purposes.
“It is very difficult to ensure even application or appropriate thickness with powder sunscreens,” says Dr. Michelle Henry. “I find it best in addition to a cream or lotion sunscreen—applied in an even layer to the full face [and] neck—as a great way to touch up sunscreen over your makeup. It is perfect for reapplication.”4
“To get the proper protection from a powder sunscreen. you would look like a ghost,” says Dr. Papri Sakar. “Instead, I recommend a cream sunscreen in the morning, and then using sunscreen powders for throughout the day.”5
Better Than No Sunscreen At All
Powder sunscreen may not be perfect, but if it’s the only SPF you have with you (or the only one you can tolerate), it’s still better than not protecting your skin at all.
Take it from Dr. Shereene Idriss. “Why does it get a lot of hate? Because a lot of the science nerds out there are like, ‘Well, it’s not going to give you the full coverage.’ I completely agree. I would never rely on an SPF powder to get the full coverage. But if you’re on the go and just want to get some coverage, at least something is better than nothing. Are they perfect? Probably not. But is a little something better than nothing? Abso-effing-lutely.”6
Is Powder Sunscreen Safe?
In North America, powder sunscreen is considered a drug—just like any other sunscreen—and is regulated by the FDA and Health Canada. So if you’re seeing drug facts on a label, the product has gone through the appropriate testing and approval processes.
Powder sunscreen also contains the only two active sunscreen ingredients that the FDA designates as “GRASE” (Generally Recognized Safe and Effective): zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.7
However, there are concerns about inhalation. When zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are ground down into tiny nanoparticles, inhaling them can be damaging to the respiratory system.8,9
The good news is that the vast majority of powder sunscreens on the market consist of large particle sizes that are considered non-nano.
“There was some concern in the media that nanoparticles were of such a small size they could be absorbed into the skin or inhaled and cause problems down the line. Most cosmetic companies sheer their sunscreen particles into various sizes that are well above the nanoparticle range, to not penetrate the skin or be dangerous if inhaled,” says Dr. Annie Chiu.10
How to Use Powder Sunscreen
Powder sunscreen should be applied over a base layer of sunscreen lotion.
Michelle Villett/The Glow Memo
Here’s the right way to incorporate powder sunscreen into your routine:
1. Apply a Base Layer of Sunscreen Lotion
On clean skin (after you’ve applied any treatments or moisturizers), your lotion-based sunscreen should go onto any exposed areas. “The linchpin of photoprotection is to apply a sunscreen every day, first thing in the morning, regardless of your intended activity,” says Dr. Sharyn Laughlin in my UVA vs UVB tutorial. For product recommendations, see here.
2. Apply Makeup (Optional)
Any skin makeup that you like to wear—such as concealer, foundation, tinted moisturizer, BB cream or CC cream—can come next.
3. Apply Powder Sunscreen to Dry Skin
Now you can apply your powder for an extra layer of protection. But make sure that your skin is completely dry to the touch. If it’s damp, you could get a streaky application, and it won’t be as effective.
To activate your brush, tap the closed container (brush side down) a few times on a hard surface to get the powder flowing. When you open it, you’ll also want to flick the bristles with your finger to make sure the powder is coming out.
Sweep the brush over your skin for at least 60 seconds, using small circular motions and making multiple passes until you have achieved even coverage.
4. Do Not Inhale
Avoid inhaling while you are applying your powder sunscreen. I just hold my breath for a few seconds while I’m swirling the powder over my face. When I do take a breath, I make sure to take a step away from where I was standing, so that I’m not breathing in any powder that may be lingering in the air.
5. Reapply Every Two Hours
As with other sunscreens, powder formulas are meant to be reapplied every two hours when you’re getting direct sun exposure. Fortunately, that’s as easy as dusting on another layer!
The Best Powder Sunscreens for Your Skin
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50
Colorescience
Supergoop! (R)esetting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35 PA+++
Supergoop!
Brush On Block Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
Brush On Block
ISDIN Isdinceutics Mineral Brush On the Go Facial Powder SPF 50
ISDIN
iS Clinical PerfecTint Powder SPF 40
iS Clinical
Colorescience Total Protection Sheer Matte SPF 30 Sunscreen Brush
Colorescience